No Offense to Warren Barfield
Posted on 07.25.06 in Music and there are 9 comments.
I couldn’t name a song by Warren Barfield. I may have heard one on on the radio, I just wouldn’t recognize it.
I thought that was going to change today when I saw a graphic on a blog that read “Download a free song from Warren Barfield.” I LOVE listening to new music so I hurriedly clicked on the link. It took me to a page that asked for the following:
- Email Address
- First Name
- Last Name
- Zip Code
- Birth Day, Month AND Year
Here are my issues with this method of “marketing”:
1. It’s a bit less than honest. That’s not free. True, I wasn’t asked for money, but I was asked for my privacy. This is no reflection on Mr. Barfield, who I trust is a stellar fellow, but perhaps a reflection of those who handle his marketing. The ad graphic should have read “sign up for the mailing list and get a free download.” It looked too much like a “bait and switch” tactic.
2. My other problem with this method is that I believe it to be less than effective. If there were no restrictions on accessing the download, I would have actually gone ahead and downloaded it. Maybe I would have become a lifetime fan. We’ll never know because there were too many barriers to his music. I may be particular about the information that I give out, but I imagine that there are others like me. People shouldn’t be hoodwinked into signing up for an email list. An email list should be comprised of interested people, not people just searching for a freebie.
It’s true that this is a common marketing method, but just because it’s popular doesn’t mean it’s best.
What are your thoughts? Would you have downloaded the file? Do you think this is an effective form of marketing?
Click here to sign up for his mailing list AND download a free mp3.
There are 9 comments.
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The Comments:
Seth Ward declared on 07/26/06 at 12:36 AM:
Hey Kat. These are good things to consider. We are planning a big BIG tour for the fall and I am brainstorming for things to get people involved in the blog, myspace and website, and most importantly -the music. I am taking all of those other things that you emailed (then posted to the public) to heart. Hopefully some of those suggestions will see the light of day in a few months.
Any suggestions for the tour?
Also, I must agree with you about the Warren Barfield stuff. It’s not really straight forward. I would NOT have downloaded the file. I would have been ticked and probably would have made up a fake name and email. I HATE spam mail and I would probably want to check the music out first before I get on a mailing list. I would maybe ask if they would sign up after they download.
I am sure he is a nice fellow as well and I think I actually DO like his music. Isn’t the the “Mistaken for Jesus” guy? Cool tune.
Kat declared on 07/26/06 at 07:18 AM:
My thoughts exactly Seth. If you have someone sign up for a mailing list that they’re not actually interested in, then you’re going to get a lot of fake information.
Here’s what I think I’d do:
Offer the free mp3 and then below that say that they can download an mp3 interview of Warren Barfield and a free ringtone by signing up for the mailing list. Perhaps offer this information via a personal note from Warren or even a video or audio message.
My thinking is that if you’re going to say something is free, then make it free. No strings attached. However, it was smart of them to try to get people to sign up for the mailing list, they just went about it in a shady manner. Perhaps if additional Warren Barfield goodies were offered (like the interview and the ringtone) then those who are actually fans of his music would sign up.
It’s a win-win situation for all parties. Visitors get the free download exposing Warren’s music to a larger audience AND Warren builds an accurate mailing list of interested fans.
It’s better to have a mailing list of 1,000 interested active REAL folks than a mailing list of 10,000 fake email addresses, names, zip codes and birth dates. Artists can make some important decisions based on the demographics of their mailing list so it’s important to keep it as accurate as possible.
Again, all this to say, that I’m sure Warren is a stand up guy, I just don’t agree with his marketing team’s method.
Kat declared on 07/26/06 at 07:29 AM:
Seth,
My suggestion for the tour?
Come to Waco. 
As for any other ideas, I’ll think on it and get back to you!
Matthew Smith declared on 07/26/06 at 08:39 AM:
A different solution would be to allow someone to stream the song no-strings-attached, and give their email address if they’d like to actually download it. If you were able to hear the song first, and liked it, you probably wouldn’t mind giving your email address for the privilege to listen to it on your iPod.
Seth Ward declared on 07/26/06 at 10:49 AM:
Ooooo, nice Matthew. I like that idea as well.
Kat declared on 07/26/06 at 01:02 PM:
Matthew,
Thanks so much for commenting and stopping by my humble blog.
With the niceties over, I’m now going to have to disagree with you. 
Almost every artist’s website these days has, or should have, their music on it - generally via a flash player. So, what would the marketing benefit be to just sending people to an artist’s site to listen to something that they should be able to listen to anyway? I don’t think that anyone would post banners on their blog for that. Frankly, I think that streaming music is a completely differently tool in the indie artists toolbox than the mp3 download.
The benefit of a free mp3 download is that visitors can grab it and run. There is no commitment and it is easily accessible. If they like it, they’ll listen to it on their computer occassionally and if they love it, they’ll add it to their iPod or mp3 player. Eventually, they’ll want to hear more of that artist’s music and because they like that artist, hopefully they’ll go and buy the album. If the artist comes to town they’ll certainly want to go see the show.
That’s how I found Dave Barnes. An artist I like recommended him. There was a free song on his forum. I added it to my iPod. Whenever I was working on my computer, I listened to his music player on his website. As soon as his music hit iTunes I purchased it and encouraged all of my friends to as well. Then when he came to town - I was there.
The mp3 download is like a business card. It gets your information (music) in peoples hands (ears). It should be given away freely and easily. You may not see immediate results, but you will certainly increase your fanbase (or whatever you want to call it). An additional benefit of the mp3 download is that some artist’s music is the sort that needs to “grow on you” it’s not hook laden pop. For that sort of artist, I don’t think many people would listen to the streaming song long enough to see the beauty in it.
The flashplayer on an artist’s site is the next step. It’s like a sale. It gets people to your site who are already interested in what you have. They’ll listen to it in the background while they work. They’ll fall in love with a few of the songs that they don’t have. Eventually, they’ll probably buy it.
Those are really loose analogies, but I hope they get my point across.
Wow. That’s a long comment. I certainly am opinionated, aren’t I? I hope I didn’t offend you at all Matthew. I’d love you hear your thoughts on this.
The Chaotic Hammer declared on 07/27/06 at 08:40 AM:
I don’t really know about the marketing of music, but just for the record, I’m probably a fairly typical web browser layman, and when I hit something that unexpectedly asks me for Name, Rank, and Serial Number, I usually turn around and go back, too.
marianne declared on 08/12/06 at 08:57 PM:
Kinda makes you think about what you stick on the sidebar of your Blog, doesn’t it? 
TREVOR declared on 02/14/07 at 09:34 AM:
Thanx a lot, btw, admire the design. Kinda peaceful solution:Got to know a nice resource to accompany a free evening:)
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